Gators in the Pros: Year in Review
Monday, December 15, 2025 | Men's Tennis
Nine Gators Men’s Tennis alumni conclude their year on the pro tour, with a few having career high seasons.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The ATP pro season concluded on November 16 with the final match at the Nitto ATP Finals. Many alumni of the Gators Men's Tennis program saw action in several ATP, ITF and Grand Slam tournaments throughout the year. The nine alumni who competed in the pros throughout the year, include Ben Shelton, Diego Hidalgo, Johannes Ingildsen, Oliver Crawford, Andres "Andy" Andrade, Alfredo Perez, Abdullah Shelbayh, Will Grant and Axel Nefve.
Shelton saw his best pro year in his career this season, concluding the year at No. 9 but saw a career high rank as high as No. 5 in singles. He concluded the year with a 40-24 record in singles and an 8-9 record in doubles. The former Gator played in ATP 250, 500, 1000 and all four Grand Slam tournaments. Out of the 23 tournaments he participated in, Shelton reached the competition's quarterfinals or better in nine of the events and in seven of those tournaments he fell to members of the top 10 players in the world. Shelton won just one title this year, which also happened to be his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Canada. To win the title, he had to take down players such as No. 6 Taylor Fritz, No. 7 Alex de Minaur, No. 18 Karen Khachanov and No. 22 Flavio Cobolli.
Shelton's performances throughout the year earned him a chance to attend his first Nitto ATP Finals, where he faced No. 2 Jannik Sinner, No. 3 Alexander Zverev and No. 5 Felix Auger-Aliassime to end his season.
Hidalgo ends the year ranked at No. 76, with a 7-11 record in doubles. He primarily competed in ATP Challenger events, with some ITF and ATP 250 tournaments in the mix as well. He also made appearances in two Grand Slam events, the Australian Open and Roland Garros where he and his doubles partners fell in the round of 64 of both tournaments.
Ingildsen primarily played doubles, and reached a career high ranking of No. 121 through his performance in the several ATP Challenger events he played in. He ends the year with a 1-1 record and no titles.
Crawford competed in several ITF and ATP Challenger events throughout the year. Has also made an appearance in Wimbledon's round of 128, where he fell to Mattia Bellucci who ranks at No. 74 to close out the year, and he made a push for the main draw of the US Open but fell to Garrett Johns in the second round of qualifiers.
Andrade, Perez, Shelbayh, Grant and Nefve all played a mix of ATP Challenger and ITF tournaments for singles and doubles throughout the year.
Final Rankings
*Career High
The ATP pro tour returns in late December with a few ATP 250 tournaments and the Australian Open will be the first Grand Slam tournament of the season running from Jan. 12-Feb. 1, 2026.
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Shelton saw his best pro year in his career this season, concluding the year at No. 9 but saw a career high rank as high as No. 5 in singles. He concluded the year with a 40-24 record in singles and an 8-9 record in doubles. The former Gator played in ATP 250, 500, 1000 and all four Grand Slam tournaments. Out of the 23 tournaments he participated in, Shelton reached the competition's quarterfinals or better in nine of the events and in seven of those tournaments he fell to members of the top 10 players in the world. Shelton won just one title this year, which also happened to be his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Canada. To win the title, he had to take down players such as No. 6 Taylor Fritz, No. 7 Alex de Minaur, No. 18 Karen Khachanov and No. 22 Flavio Cobolli.
Shelton's performances throughout the year earned him a chance to attend his first Nitto ATP Finals, where he faced No. 2 Jannik Sinner, No. 3 Alexander Zverev and No. 5 Felix Auger-Aliassime to end his season.
Hidalgo ends the year ranked at No. 76, with a 7-11 record in doubles. He primarily competed in ATP Challenger events, with some ITF and ATP 250 tournaments in the mix as well. He also made appearances in two Grand Slam events, the Australian Open and Roland Garros where he and his doubles partners fell in the round of 64 of both tournaments.
Ingildsen primarily played doubles, and reached a career high ranking of No. 121 through his performance in the several ATP Challenger events he played in. He ends the year with a 1-1 record and no titles.
Crawford competed in several ITF and ATP Challenger events throughout the year. Has also made an appearance in Wimbledon's round of 128, where he fell to Mattia Bellucci who ranks at No. 74 to close out the year, and he made a push for the main draw of the US Open but fell to Garrett Johns in the second round of qualifiers.
Andrade, Perez, Shelbayh, Grant and Nefve all played a mix of ATP Challenger and ITF tournaments for singles and doubles throughout the year.
Final Rankings
| Athlete | Time with the Program | ATP Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Ben Shelton | 2020-2022 | 9 (Singles); 118 (Doubles) |
| Diego Hidalgo | 2013 - 2016 | 76 (Doubles) |
| Johannes Ingildsen | 2016-2021 | 121 (Doubles)* |
| Oliver Crawford | 2017-2020 | 199 (Singles) |
| Andres "Andy" Andrade | 2017-2022 | 273 (Singles); 422 (Doubles) |
| Alfredo Perez | 2015-2019 | 338 (Singles); 255 (Doubles) |
| Abdullah Shelbayh | 2021-2022 | 295 (Singles) |
| Will Grant | 2020-2023 | 803 (Singles) |
| Axel Nefve | 2022-2023 | 944 (Singles); 655 (Doubles) |
The ATP pro tour returns in late December with a few ATP 250 tournaments and the Australian Open will be the first Grand Slam tournament of the season running from Jan. 12-Feb. 1, 2026.
FOLLOW THE GATORS
SOCIAL: X | Facebook | Instagram
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